November 17, 2008

Winter storm warnings in Garrett, Allegany

The hardy residents of Garrett and western Allegany counties - and anyone headed west on I-68 - are under winter storm warnings today and tomorrow as a storm system moves up the Ohio River valley. Garrett could see 6 to 12 inches before it's over late tomorrow. That's a snapshot of Deep Creek Lake, below, taken with the Railey Realty webcam just before noon today. And yes, that's snow in the air. Western Allegany, and the town of Frostburg, are being told to expect 5 to 7 inches, with up to 9 inches in some locations.

Down here in the lowlands, forecasters are mentioning a "chance" of rain and snow showers as the low approaches with increasing clouds and Great Lakes moisture, and temperatures fall toward 30 degrees tonight. Just what we see will depend on the timing - how much moisture makes it this far east and how quickly the mercury falls.

"Still a small chance of seeing the first snow flakes east of the Blue Ridge tonight," the forecasters note. "Latest guidance suggests moisture will exit the area quickly this evening before thermal profiles become cold enough for snow. Will re-evaluate forecast again this afternoon."

UPDATE: There were flakes in the air in northern Baltimore County this evening, according to a teacher who worked late.Got snow tonight? Let us hear about it.

Tuesday's forecast also mentions a "slight" chance of snow showers, with stiff northwest winds. The forecast high is 41 degrees, but there is much colder air aloft, forecasters say, "so any precipitation that makes it further east will fall as snow. Amounts will be light and [we are] not expecting any accumulation at this time."

Sunshine returns Wednesday and remains in place right through the weekend. It will feel Novembery, though, with highs in the 40s and lows consistently below freezing.

Post a comment

All comments must be approved by the blog author. Please do not resubmit comments if they do not immediately appear. You are not required to use your full name when posting, but you should use a real e-mail address. Comments may be republished in print, but we will not publish your e-mail address. Our full Terms of Service are available here.

Frank Roylance is a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. He came to Baltimore from New Bedford, Mass. in 1980 to join the old Evening Sun. He moved to the morning Sun when the papers merged in 1992, and has spent most of his time since covering science, including astronomy and the weather. One of The Baltimore Sun's first online Web logs, the Weather Blog debuted in October 2004. In June 2006 Frank also began writing comments on local weather and stargazing for The Baltimore Sun's print Weather Page. Frank also answers readers’ weather queries for the newspaper and the blog. Frank Roylance retired in October 2011. Maryland Weather is now being updated by members of The Baltimore Sun staff